Unreeling mechanism for wire and tubing

ABSTRACT

An unreeling mechanism adapted to permit determined lengths of tubing, wire and the like to be intermittently drawn from a supply reel while retaining the remaining coils on the reel in their wound condition. A feeding arm is disposed to rotate around a support, and is adapted to receive the strand from the coil and in response to the tension in the strand being delivered, disengages a brake so as to permit the feeding arm to rotate around the reel. There is additionally provided an automatic shutoff switch which is actuated by an excessive pull on the delivering strand to cause a shutdown of the processing line and/or a signal to be actuated.

' United States Patent [7 2] Inventor Raymond A. Heisler 657 Dakota Trail, Franklin Lakes, NJ. 07417 [21] App1.No. 856,301 [22] Filed Sept. 9, 1969 [45] Patented Mar. 2, 1971 [54] UNREELING MECHANISM FOR WIRE AND TUBING 11) Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

52 US. Cl 242/128 [51] Int. Cl B65h 49/00 [50] Field oiSearch 242/128,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,677,167 7/1928 Borgeson 242/128 2,048,511 242/128 7/1936 Newton 2,643,075 6/1953 Moore 242/128 3,073,545 1/1963 Frate et a1 242/128 3,081,957 3/1963 Van de Bilt 242/54 3,351,302 11/1967 Lang 2412/1562 Primary ExaminerLeonard D. Christian Attorney-Ralph R. Roberts ABSTRACT: An unreeling mechanism adapted to permit determined lengths of tubing, wire and the like to be intermittently drawn from a supply reel while retaining the remaining coils on the reel in their Wound condition. A feeding arm is disposed to rotate around a support, and is adapted to receive the strand from the coil and in response to the tension in the strand being delivered, disengages a brake so as to permit the feeding arm to rotate around the reel. There is additionally provided an automatic shutoff switch which is actuated by an excessive pull on the delivering strand to cause a shutdown of the processing line and/or a signal to be actuated.

PATENTED m 21% SHEET 1 BF 3 AGE/v77 PATENTEUHAR 21a?! 3.567.152

SHEET 2 BF 3 A aE/vr.

PATEHTEUHAR 2 Ian SHEET 3 OF 3 I N VEN TOR.

RA YMO/VD A. HE/SL ER UNREELING MECHANISM FOR WIRE AND TUBING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention I This invention relates to the art of reeling and unreeling and particularly to paying-off mechanism adapted for delivering a strand of material from a coiled length of material such as tubing or wire.

2. Description of the Prior Art The smooth unreeling or paying-off of a strand of coiled tubing or wire carried upon a supply reel has been the source of many experiments resulting in many mechanical devices and patents. Particularly in the unreeling of tubing, wire and twine at high speed there have been many attempts to precisely control a rotating feeding arm which is disposed to receive the strand from the reel or spool of material; In particular where the reel is of a large size and is quite heavy it is common practice to provide a reeling arm which will guide the strand of tubing, wire or twine to a central delivery path from which it is fed to apparatus for processing the tubing, wire or twine.

In the particular apparatus to be here and after shown and described it is contemplated that a reel of tubing or wire, comprising of a single strand of several thousand feet, is placed on its side upon the floor at a selected position or location. Upon this reel there is mounted in axial alignement with the center of the reel a payoff mechanism having an arm movably responsive to the pull of the tubing or wire being fed from the reel, which response causes a rotative feeding motion of the feeding arm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An unreeling mechanism comprises a small stand disposed to sit upon the side of a reel of tubular material lying upon its side on a floor or platform. This mechanism includes an upstanding post which carries a rotatable bracket adapted to orbit in accordance with the lay of material upon the supply reel. This rotatable bracket carries an extending arm upon which is mounted a feeding pulley through and over which the tubing or wire is guided to a pair of redirecting pulleys disposed to vertically guide the tubing or wire in axial alignment with the vertical axis of the rotatable bracket. The arm upon which the feeding pulley is mounted is pivotally carried in upper and lower members of the rotatable bracket plate so that an extending portion of the arm is adjacent to and movable toward and to a brakedrum fixedly mounted to the upright shaft carrying the rotatable bracket. A brakeshoe carried by this extending arm portion is adopted to engage the brakedrum and is urged towards this brakedrum by means of a tension spring of determined bias. As the tubing or like strand of material is drawn from the reel, a sideways tension develops on the extending arm which tension overcomes the spring to cause the pivotally mounted arm to move the brakeshoe portion of the arm away from the brakedrum whereupon the arm and its attached mechanism is free to rotate around the spool or drum. When the demand for withdrawing the material from the reel ceases, the sideways tension also stops, so that the rotative motion of the arm is immediately stopped with the stopping of the tension on the strand of material. This stopping or reduction in tension permits the spring to move the brakeshoe portion of the arm into engagement with the brakedrum.

The upper portion of the unreeling mechanism may be coupled to an arm upon which is mounted a spring-urged rod disposed to actuate a microswitch which produces a response such as causing the apparatus using the material to be shut down. This shutdown occurs if a knot or excessive pull upon the apparatus occurs so that the microswitch iscaused to be actuated, whereupon the attendant to the process equipment is appraised of the need for correcting the condition causing the jamming of the unreeling mechanism.

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination is detailed to msure adequacy and aid in unoften derstanding of the invention, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how it may later be disguised by variations in form or additions of further improvements.

For this purpose there has been chosen a specific embodiment of the unreeling mechanism for feeding tubing, wire and the like and showing a preferred means for using this mechanism with a supply reel when laid on its side. This specific embodiment has been chosen for the purposes of illustration and description as shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS brakeshoe in engagement with a brakedrum carried by a spindle;

FIG. 3 represents an exploded isometric view of the several components forming the mechanism and particularly the arm and brake arrangement as well as the support column; and

FIG. 4 represents an exploded isometric view of the apparatus by which is provided the microswitch control adapted to be responsive to an excessive tension load on the feeding tube or wire.

In the following description and in the claims various details will be identified by specific names for convenience; these names, however, are intended to be generic in their application. Corresponding reference characters refer to like members throughout the several FIGS. of the drawings.

The drawings accompanying, and forming part of, this specification disclose certain details of construction for the purpose of explanation of the broader aspects of the invention, but it should be understood that structural details may be modified in various respects without departure from the concept and principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in particular to the apparatus of FIG. I, there is shown a supply reel 10 laying on its side and carrying between its upper and lower flange l1 and 12 a supply of tubing or wire 14 which may be a strand of several thousand feet in length. As the strand is wound upon the reel the strand is usually spirally wound and laid in layers. Conventionally this tubing or wire is laid with one layer on top of another and from the inner to the outer layer and with the strands arranged and in a side-by-side relationship so that the wire or tubing may be unreeled without snarling. This apparatus will also unreel randomly wound reels of wire and tubing. As it is unwound this strand of tubing or wire 16 is carried to and over a pulley 18 carried by and on the end of an arm 20. Pulley 18 is not fixedly attached to the arm but is carried by and is freely rotatable in a bracket 22 which is attached to the arm by means of a tension spring 24. To limit the travel of the bracket and a failure of the spring, there is provided a pair of safety chains 26 and 27. An excessive pull on spring 24 causes chains 26 and 27 to be brought to a taut condition preventing an undue amount of movement inwardly and/or downwardly of the pulley 18. The

tubing strand 16, as it is unreeled, travels from pulley 18 inwardly to a pair of pulleys, first to a lower pulley 28, thence upwardly to and over an upper pulley 30, thence outwardly to the apparatus for processing the tubing or wire 16.

The pulleys 28 and 30 as well as the framework support means for the arm 20 are carried by a base plate 31 which is removably mounted upon the upper flange 11 of the reel 10. This plate 31 carries an upwardly extending rotatable frame in which is rotatably mounted the pulleys 28 and 30 as well as other components such as the brake and rotating arm system to be hereinafter more fully described.

Still referring to FIG. 1, there is shown at the right of reel 10 a safety shutdown device including a pedestal 32 supporting a column or post 34 of determined height. Rotatably carried on this column is a collar 36 which is slidable up and down this column. This collar is selectively maintained at a determined height and from sliding down the column by means of a stopblock 38 which is releasably clamped to the column. Attached to the collar 36 is a support arm 40 which extends leftwardly to the vertical support portion of the support apparatus more fully described hereinbelow.

Referring next to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown in detail the apparatus carried by the base plate 31. Attached at a determined position on the underside of plate 31 is a positioning plug 50 which is retained to the plate by means of a support shaft 52. This shaft has a collar below which is a reduced diameter lower portion which is threaded and sized to shoulder in a hole in plate 31 and extend through a hole in plug 50. A nut 53 is mounted on this threaded lower end ofthe shaft and is tightened to position and retain plug 50 to the base plate 31.

A bearing 55 is mounted on shaft 52 and is disposed above the collar to rotatably support a lower pivot plate 56 which has a hole 57 formed therein. This hole is sized to provide a press fit of the pivot plate on the outer race member of the bearing 55. A brakedrum 58 is also mounted on the shaft 52 and may be either a press fit on the shaft or is locked thereon by means of a setscrew or the like so that the brakedrum is nonrotating. Immediately above the brakedrum 58 is an upper pivot plate 60 which is positioned on shaft 52 by means of a bearing 62 mounted on the shaft. A hole 63 in plate 60 is sized and positioned so that plate 60 is a press fit on the outer race of the bearing 62. A nut 64 is adapted to engage the upper threaded end of shaft 52 and when tightened retain bearings 55 and 62 and brakedrum S8 in assembled position on the shaft.

In plates 56 and 60 are formed pivot holes 66 and 67 which are positioned to be brought into axial alignment so as to carry the pivot end journals of pivot block 70. Upstanding right and left supporting members 72 and 73 are attached to upper and lower pivot plates 56 and 60 by means of socket-head capscrews 74 tightened in threaded holes in the plates. When the capscrews are tightened to draw the supporting members to the plates, the supporting members space and align the plates. By means of bearings 55 and 62 this assembly is freely rotatable around shaft 52 and the brakedrum 58 mounted therebetween.

Carried upon the pivot block 70 is a support arm 75 which is attached by capscrews carried in threaded holes in the block 70. On the inside of arm 75 there is mounted a brakeblock or shoe 76. Formed in the arm 75 are holes which are disposed to receive the threaded shanks of a pair of U-bolts 77. These U- bolts are sized to receive one end of arm 20 and when the U- bolts are tightened retain the arm 20 on arm 75. The arm 20, as it is moved, causes support arm 75 to pivot around pivot block 70. The U-bolts permit arm 20 to be adjusted as to length and as to the declination or angle of the curved outer end. Extending backwardly from the end of arm 75 is a capscrew or pin 80 and from a spacer block 82 attached to the left supporting member 73 there extends backwardly a like capscrew 84. A tension spring 85 has one end attached to capscrew 80 and the other end attached to capscrew 84.

As particularly seen in FIG. 2, the spring 85 is tensioned to urge or pull the support arm 75 towards the left supporting member 73 and capscrew 84. As the pivoted arm is swung clockwise around pivot block 70 the brakeblock 76 is urged towards and into engagement with brakedrum 58. This engagement stops or tends to stop the rotation of the support assembly around the shaft 52. A leftward movement of the arm 20 causes a counterclockwise movement of attached support arm 75 around pivot block 70. As the arm 20 moves it causes the tension of spring 85 to be overcome to the extent that brakeblock 76 moves from engagement with brakedrums 58. With the brake no longer effective the support assembly moves counterclockwise around shaft 52 until the leftward force on arm 20 diminishes or ceases and spring causes the brakeblock to effectively engage brakedrum 58.

Referring again to FIG. 3, it is to be noted that the upper ends of supporting members 72 and 73 are spaced by and are attached by capscrews 86 to a bearing block 88. This block has a hole 89 formed therein for a press fit of the outer race of flanged bearings 90 and 91. These bearings carry in their inner races a guide bushing 92 whose upper threaded end extends through a hole in pulley bracket 94. A nut 95 retains bracket 94 on guide bushing 92 and also retains the guide bushing 92 and flanged bearings 90 and 91 in an assembled condition. Upper pulley 30 is rotatably retained in bracket 94 by means ofa bolt and nut 96 and 97.

Lower pulley 28 is rotatably carried on a bolt 98 mounted in holes in brackets 99 and 100 which are attached by capscrews to right and left-hand supporting members 72 and 73. The brackets 99 and 100, when mounted, carry the pulley 28 so that its grooved outer circumference is aligned with the axis of the passageway through the bushing 92. In like manner the upper pulley 30 as it is carried in bracket 94 has its grooved outer circumference aligned with the axis of the passageway through bushing 92.

The apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3 may be used without a safety shutdown used to detect snags, knots, and the like blocking or stopping the feeding of the tubing and wire. When such an arrangement is made the pedestal 32, arm 40 and the arm supporting means is not required. Bracket 94 is used to rotatably support pulley 30. Where the use of a safety device is desired, reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 4.

Referring next and finally to FIG. 4, it is to be noted that the support arm 40, as it extends toward the rotatable support assembly, slidably carries on its outer end an upper pulley bracket 101 which is similar to bracket 94, but bracket 101 has a bar 102 attached thereto. This bracket is disposed to carry upper pulley 30 on a bolt 96 mounted in aligned holes 103 in the arms of the bracket. The lower portion of bracket 101 is sized to slidably engage the bar 40. Guide bushing 92 (FIG. 3) passes through a hole in the base of the bracket 101 and thence through spacer 104. A washer 105 is also mounted on bushing 92 and by means of nut 106 the bracket 101, spacer 104 and washer 105 are tightened into position. This permits the upper pulley 30 to be maintained in alignment with the support arm 40 while at the same time the bearingsupported lower support frame is free to rotate around the guide bushing 92 and the support shaft 52. This rotation is, of course, made only when the brakeblock is not in engagement with the brakedrum.

Through a hole 110 in the bar 102 there is slidably mounted control rod 112. Nuts 113 on the threaded end of rod 112 are disposed with one nut on each side of bar 102. They are rotated on the threaded end and tightened thereon to adjustably position rod 112 in bar 102. A guide block 116 carried by bar 40 slidably retains and guides rod 112. A spring 118 is disposed on the rod 112 between guideblock 116 and an end nut 120. The spring 118 is compressed to urge rod 112 and attached bracket 101 toward column 34. The extent of movement of bracket 101 on support bar 40 is within limits established by the movement of spacer 104 in an elongated slot 122 in bar 40.

During the assembly of bracket 101 to the lower support frame the arm 40 is brought into the guideway in the bracket 101 and spacer 104 is fitted into slot 122 so that after washer 105 is tightened in place on top of spacer 104 the bracket 101, although slidable on bar 40, is limited in its movement by the travel of spacer 104 in slot 122. Microswitch 125, by means of capscrews 126, is mounted on bar 40 so that plunger 127 is engaged by the bar 112. Electrical signals from and to the switch are carried by conductor 128 to an electrical system not shown.

use AND OPERATION The unreeling mechanism above-described is used with a supply reel of tubing or wire and the like. Assuming the assembly of FIG. 1 is used, the base plate 31 and engaged support arm 40 are lifled so that a new reel may be placed on the floor at a determined distance from pedestal 32 and its column 354. Base plate 31 and the apparatus carried therewith is placed on upper flange 11 with positioning plug 50 mounted in the axle hole of the reel. A length of tubing or wire 16 is unwound from the reel and is brought up to and over pulley 18, thence inwardly to an under lower pulley 28. The end of tubing is then fed upwardly through guide bushing 92 and to and over upper pulley 30 and then is brought to the machine or apparatus which further processes or converts the tubing or wire into other products. Support arm 40 is aligned with the delivery length of the tubing from upper pulley 30 to the consuming machine. The support bracket 101 on support arm 40 is positioned so that spacer 104 is at the front of slot 122 or towards column 34 when there is no pullon tubing or wire 16. The tubing is then pulled as shown by the arrow.

As the tubing is pulled the tension therein causes pulley 18 to be drawn towards pulley 28 and spring 24 to be stretched. The extent of tubing from pulley 18 to the reel is also tightened, causing arm 20 to be drawn leftwardly to pivot the block 711 against the bias of spring 85. When the brakeblock 76 becomes disengaged from brakedrum 58 the support assembly, including pulley 28, is rotated counterclockwise. When the demand for the tubing has been satisfied, the tension in the tubing is reduced, the sideward pull on arm 20 stops and spring 85 causes brakeblock 76 to engage brakedrum 58 to stop the rotation.

As reduced to practice, this brake action occurs before any appreciable amount of slack appears in the wound strand on the reel. This retaining of the reel in its wound condition is the intended effect of this apparatus so that no matter whether the demand for tubing is continuous or intermittent, the determined tension in the strand of tubing on the reel is maintained. A knot or kink, when it occurs, causes an overload in the tension of the tubing from pulley 30 to the demand mechanism and from pulley 18 to pulley 30. The pulley 30 and support bracket 101 are thus drawn outwardly to cause attached rod 112 to be moved and plunger 127 of microswitch 125 to be actuated. After the knot or kink in the tubing or wire has been corrected, the unreeling may again be started and continued.

As the unreeling apparatus is designed particularly to accept intermittent feeding of the tubing; i.e., the advancement of the tubing in short jerks, it is contemplated that spring 24 will absorb the initial shock of the pull until a sufficient tension or pull is developed in the tubing or wire to cause a sidewise pull on arm 20 to be developed so as to release the brakeblock 76. In this manner the brake is responsive to the jerky pulling of the tubing and prevents any overswing of arm 20 and any over-unwind of the tubing or wire from the reel.

As reduced to practice, the apparatus shown as been highly satisfactory in intermittently feeding a five-sixteenths diameter tubing to a bail-forming apparatus. This apparatus uses tubing in like lengths of 3 to 4 inches at rates of up to m more per minute. Sensitivity of the safety shutdown shown in FIG. 4 is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the tension in spring 118.

Terms such as left, right, up, down," bottom, top, from, back,in, outf clockwise, counterclockwise and the like are applicable to the embodiment shown and described in conjunction with the drawings. These terms are merely for the purposes of description and do not necessarily apply to the position in which the unreeling apparatus for tubing or wire may be constructed or used.

The conception of the unreeling apparatus and its many applications is not limited to the specific embodiment shown but departures therefrom may be'made and protection is sought to the broadest extent the prior art allows.

Iclaim:

1. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material such as wire, tubing, cord and the like, said strand being fed in determined lengths and often in an intermittent or irregular manner from a supply reel, said mechanism adapted to retain the remaining coils of the strand on the reel in their wound condition as the strand is drawn from the reel, the mechanism including:

a. a support means adapted to be removably retained on the upper flange of a reel;

b. a rotatable frame carried by the support means;

0. an arm carried by and rotated with the frame;

d. a strand guide carried by the outer end of the arm, said guide disposed to carry the strand outwardly of the upper flange of the reel to avoid engagement of the strand therewith;

e. a brake member carried by the arm and disposed to cooperate with a fixed member on the support means to retain the arm and rotatable frame in a nonrotating attitude on the support means until a side pull on the arm causes the brake to deactivate; and

f. strand guide means disposed to receive the strand from the strand guide on the end of the arm and guide the strand to the axis of the rotatable frame from which the strand is delivered to subsequent operations.

2. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 1 in which the arm is pivotally carried by the rotatable frame, said arm having a brakeblock mounted thereon and disposed to be urged by a bias means into frictional engagement with a nonrotating brake drum carried by the support means.

3. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 2 in which the pivot is intermediate the ends of the arm and the brakeblock is between the pivot and the inner end of the arm and the bias means is a tension spring urging the brakeblock into engagement with the nonrotating brakedrum.

4. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 2 in which the strand guide on the end of the arm is a freely rotating pulley carried by a bracket resiliently attached to the end of the arm.

5. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 4 in which the resilient attachment of the bracket to the arm is a tension spring and in which there is provided a safety chain from the bracket to the arm said chain disposed to limit the maximum extent of travel of the bracketed pulley from the end of the arm.

6. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material as in claim 2 in which the strand guide means for receiving the strand from the arm is a pair of freely rotatable pulleys having their outer peripheries troughed to receive and guide the traveling strand, said pulleys disposed one above the other with the lower pulley carried by the rotatable frame and disposed so that the troughed periphery lies in a plane generally common with the strand guide on the end of the arm, and with the upper pulley carried by an auxiliary supported bracket disposed to support the pulley and to align the troughed periphery with the means for providing the next operation on the strand.

7. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 6 in which the auxiliary supported bracket for the upper pulley is carried by a support arm selectively positioned on a column of a pedestal adjacent the reel.

8. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 7 in which the auxiliary bracket is biased into a selected positioned on the support'arm so that when moved against this bias for a determined distance an electrical circuit is actuated which may cause a light, bell and the like to signal an attendant and may also shut down associated apparatus.

9. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 2 in which the support means is a base plate having a support plug attached thereto, said support plug sized so as to be removably retained in a through axial bore in the reel.

10. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material as in claim 2 in which are provided means for adjusting the extent of arm extending from the rotatable frame, and in which 

1. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material such as wire, tubing, cord and the like, said strand being fed in determined lengths and often in an intermittent or irregular manner from a supply reel, said mechanism adapted to retain the remaining coils of the strand on the reel in their wound condition as the strand is drawn from the reel, the mechanism including: a. a support means adapted to be removably retained on the upper flange of a reel; b. a rotatable frame carried by the support means; c. an arm carried by and rotated with the frame; d. a strand guide carried by the outer end of the arm, said guide disposed to carry the strand outwardly of the upper flange of the reel to avoid engagement of the strand therewith; e. a brake member carried by the arm and disposed to cooperate with a fixed member on the support means to retain the arm and rotatable frame in a nonrotating attitude on the support means until a side pull on the arm causes the brake to deactivate; and f. strand guide means disposed to receive the strand from the strand guide on the end of the arm and guide the strand to the axis of the rotatable frame from which the strand is delivered to subsequent operations.
 2. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 1 in which the arm is pivotally carried by the rotatable frame, said arm having a brakeblock mounted thereon and disposed to be urged by a bias means into frictional engagement with a nonrotating brake drum carried by the support means.
 3. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 2 in which the pivot is intermediate the ends of the arm and the brakeblock is between the pivot and the inner end of the arm and the bias means is a tension spring urging the brakeblock into engagement with the nonrotating brakedrum.
 4. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 2 in which the strand guide on the end of the arm is a freely rotating pulley carried by a bracket resiliently attached to the end of the arm.
 5. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 4 in which the resilient attachment of the bracket to the arm is a tension spring and in which there is provided a safety chain from the bracket to the arm said chain disposed to limit the maximum extent of travel of the bracketed pulley from the end of the arm.
 6. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material as in claim 2 in which the strand guide means for receiving the strand from the arm is a pair of freely rotatable pulleys having their outer peripheries troughed to receive and guide the traveling strand, said pulleys disposed one above the other with the lower pulley carried by the rotatable frame and disposed so that the troughed periphery lies in a plane generally common with the strand guide on the end of the arm, and with the upper pulley carried by an auxiliary supported bracket disposed to support the pulley and to align the troughed periphery with the means for providing the next operation on the strand.
 7. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 6 in which the auxiliary supported bracket for the upper pulley is carried by a support arm selectively positioned on a column of a pedestal adjacent the reel.
 8. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 7 in which the auxiliary bracket is biased into a selected positioned on the support arm so that when moved against this bias for a determined distance an electrical circuit is actuated which may cause a light, bell and the like to signal an attendant and may also shut down associated apparatus.
 9. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material from a reel as in claim 2 in which the support means is a base plate having a support plug attached thereto, said support plug sized so as to be removably retained in a through axial bore in the reel.
 10. An unreeling mechanism for feeding a strand of material as in claim 2 in which are provided means for adjusting the extent of arm extending from the rotatable frame, and in which the rotatable frame is carried by antifriction bearings mounted on a shaft extending from a base plate adapted for removable mounting on the upper flange of a reel. 